Continuing our exploration of Francophone West African Cinema, Dr. Sarah Jilani of City, University of London introduced Souleymane Cissé’s 1982 The Wind.
A vivid social satire with overtones of Romeo and Juliet, The Wind tackles the generation gap in post-colonial West Africa. Its heroine is the pot smoking daughter of a provincial military governor who falls in love with a fellow university student, the descendent of one of Mali’s chiefs of an earlier age. Both families object to the union and to the lovers’ growing involvement in student strikes against the corrupt government. A mix of politics, romance and social commentary, The Wind casts a critical eye on both the ancient and modern values.
In February, Terry Gilliam joined film critic, presenter and producer Jason Solomons on stage at The Garden Cinema after a screening of his film The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018) for a live discussion about the acclaimed director’s life and career as part of our season The Films of Terry Gilliam.
In partnership with AWAN, Mydylarama, MENA Arts UK and the Arab Film Club, our next season celebrates recent key feature films made by Arab women directors that, together, offer a rich and diverse introduction to filmmaking from the region. We picked films that tell everyday, very human stories, away from sensationalist and reductionist portrayals too often offered up by depictions of the Arab world. These films together will form our latest season: Mukhrijat: Arab Women Filmmakers. The films will be complemented by introductions, Q&As and events.
This British classic was screened with a Q&A with David Wood. David co-starred as one of the three rebel schoolboys in a public school, alongside Malcolm McDowell (Mick) and Richard Warwick (Wallace), and they led the revolution against authority – which was regarded by many as a metaphor for the social and political situation in the UK.
Join us for this podcast to hear David sharing behind the scenes stories and other anecdotes.
This film was proposed by our member Paddy Cooper. To propose your own screening, log into your members’ account to visit the Members’ Area. We also show members’ choice selections as regular ticketed screenings.
To launch our Francophone West African Cinema season, Estrella Sendra Fernandez of Kings College London introduced Ousmane Sembène’s seminal film Black Girl (1966).
Francophone West African Cinema continues with weekly screenings introduced by experts and followed by post-film discussion groups.
Our Mike Leigh in Conversation season continues with a screening of Life Is Sweet (1990). Following the screening, the acclaimed director was joined on stage by friend and collaborator Gary Yershon to discuss the film with the audience.
We chatted to Italian director Mario Martone about his latest feature film, Nostalgia, which stars one of Italy’s most famous working actors, Pierfrancesco Favino, sporting an eerily accurate Arabic accent. We delve together into the film’s esoteric and spiritual dimensions, its gorgeous and loving portrait of Naples and its depictions of the city’s element of criminality.